Microsoft-funded project helps PHP tap into ADO.NET data services

Microsoft has released a project to bridge the gulf between the popular PHP programming language and .NET. The project is called the PHP Toolkit for ADO.NET Data Services and it consists of an open-source toolkit funded by Microsoft and developed by a company called Persistent Systems.

Using the toolkit, PHP developers will be able to tap into ADO.NET Data Services. Essentially, code libraries from the project enable the creation of local PHP classes that mirrors the structure of the remote data, which is transparently synchronized via a RESTful interface.

In terms of usage, PHP and Microsoft's ASP.NET are probably two of the most popular programming language for websites today. By making it easier for PHP programmers to tap into the ADO.NET data backend, Microsoft is actually promoting the use of its servers as well as backend software.

What Microsoft is doing is important due to the fact that companies are increasingly moving their servers into the Cloud. While slow to recognize the trend, Microsoft is moving quickly to fill in the gap with Windows Azure and its associated Cloud services later this year. In the meantime, you can access the project page from here.

For more on this story:
- check out this article at eWeek

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